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Pets and their owners lined up outside the Banfield Pet Hospital's new Los Angeles branch in early February to celebrate opening of the new facility -- and also to show off their Hollywood talent.

Dogs donned their best costumes and look-alike attempts to compete in the "Does Your Pet Look Like a Grammy Nominee" contest, judged by former 98 Degrees singer and "Dancing With the Stars" performer Drew Lachey.

"We know there won't be any long speeches from the winners!" Lachey joked in a media release before the Feb. 4 event.

The pets got in the spirit on the red carpet, to an extent that took Banfield veterinarian Dr. Nina Nardi a bit by surprise.

"I'll put clothes on my dogs, sometimes, but I was blown away by the wigs and the necklaces and the tutus that some of these dogs had," she told Zootoo after the event.

"There was a lot of traffic and a lot of people, starting from the early morning. I saw some people doing some last minute scrambling, going into PetSmart to buy costumes. It was pretty intense."

The winners, including Coco, a Great Dane/Pitt Bull Mix (dressed as Rihanna), Mason, a Pomeranian (dressed as Bruno Mars) and Dolce, a Maltese (dressed as Katy Perry) received a year's worth of free preventative veterinary care from Banfield, and goody-bags from PetSmart.

In true Hollywood fashion, they and all other participating dogs also took to the red carpet and strutted their stuff, while Lachey surveyed the outfits.

"It was pretty fun," recalled Nardi.

Banfield is the largest general veterinary practice in the world, and as it has continued to expand rapidly, in conjunction with PetSmart stores across the United States, has tried to makes its hospital openings fun and interactive events. Banfield now has about 800 facilities operating across the U.S.

Nardi, a veterinarian at Banfield's Canoga Park, Ca., hospital, says that part of its appeal to clients may be its Wellness Plans, which allow clients to pre-purchase a set veterinarian plan on an annual basis, given their pet's individual needs.

"It's a cornerstone of our practice and allows people to afford pet care and preventative pet care," Nardi explained. "It covers all the vaccines and office visits, and we have had so many clients say that they are not afraid to come in for a visit and get their concerns addressed when they have this plan, because they know that they won't have to pay for everything each time."

Banfield also has all of its clients records computerized, which might sound basic -- but comes in handy if a client moves to a different city or state. This practice then allows patients to seamlessly transfer from hospital to hospital, and pickup where they left off with one doctor to the next, not having to worry about getting their files transferred.

(Photo Courtesy of Coyne PR)

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